3 Community Self-Help
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3.1 Volunteer Fire Department Philosophy
For the greater good of the community the Grand Lake Road Volunteer Fire Department has worked tirelessly over the years. Volunteers have been guided by the belief that community self-help is key to enriching the collective in which they live and developing the synergies essential to continued advancement.
A splendid example of the fire department’s philosophy in action is the transfer of a parcel of land on Grand Lake Road to the municipality. When the former Municipality of the County of Cape Breton required land to construct a modern new administration centre, it was the Grand Lake Road Volunteer Fire Department that made it possible. In so doing, they facilitated community advancement with no other objective in mind than to make the place they live better.
The proposed Grand Lake Road Emergency Services Centre is another example of the volunteer fire department putting into practice the ideology of self-help. The concept is born out of the view that the context in which the department operates today is changed, in some respects markedly, from just a few years ago. Communities face new challenges in efforts to ensure that the scope, nature and level of essential services are in step with both the expectations of residents and the fundamental requirements of a progressive society. No longer is it acceptable to assume that government, in particular local government, is exclusively responsible for such advancements.
3.2 Emergency Services Centre About Empowerment
Communities must play a larger and more active role in ensuring that the environment in which function does not become degraded by a lessening or loss of fundamental services. The consequences of inaction are considerable and the potential for social and physical decay are troubling.
Of its own volition, the Grand Lake Road Volunteer Fire Department is proposing to take the lead in developing a modern, efficient centre that will solidify and strengthen emergency services delivery in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. The project is an example of community empowerment. It is about involvement and consultation and emphasizes the importance of self-sufficiency. Among other things, the initiative is an expression of citizenship and deservers to be recognized as an important element in an overall strategy to modernize local government services.
Like so many other communities across the country, the Grand Lake Road Volunteer Department has been a wellspring of organized activities. It has generated a level of trust and shared obligation creating a sense that money is wisely invested and well looked after. Moreover, the department has been of pivotal importance to making Grand Lake Road a learning community, active, empowered and safe.
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